Sorry, but if anyone is having high expectations from this show - you should try to look at it differently. Thinking highly of this show is akin to being delusional.

Lets face the facts:

Kirito is Gary Stue.

For those that don't know what a Gary Stue is, it's the male version of a Mary Sue.

A fictional character, usually female, whose implausible talents and likeableness weaken the story.

Every time he has been struggling in a battle, he has called upon his Gary Stue powers to win the fight.

Spoiler Alert! Click to show or hide

Remember the last fight in the SAO MMO? That's the perfect example of Gary Stue being Gary Stue. This happened in an MMO, It doesn't matter what kind of excuses you can think of to defend the awful development in that fight. With the way Kirito fought and consequently gave up; he should have lost. But praise the Gary Stue powers, suddenly he found hidden strength in the despair of his loved one being dead and SOMEHOW managed to power-up despite being realistically dead in the mmo (Yes he was, his Health Bar was gone when he "defeated" the bad guy).

Every female character in this show who has been given a name, has fallen in love with Kirito.
No seriously, the only way to avoid falling in love with Kirito if you are a female character is to never tell your name.

The "Beater/Cheater" haters. Absolutely moronic to a degree that can't even be explained because it was so stupid.
Why the hell would you have a freaking witch-hunt against the VERY PEOPLE WHO COULD SAVE YOU FROM THE MMO??

Deus Ex Machina. Kirito gets paralysed and just as he is about to die; 'LO AND BEHOLD THERE IS ASUNA!
Just in time to rescue him from an untimely death! Phew! What a coincident!

Kirito picks the WEAKEST race, gets told illusions are useless, somehow managed to become one of the bosses from the SAO MMO and BITES A PLAYER.
Lets look at the facts again. ILLUSION. Not transformation or anything similar. ILLUSION. You shouldn't be able to hurt anyone like Kirito did with an illusion. But it's okay! Because he is Gary Stue! Therefore his spells breaks the game.

Kirito beats a highly skilled player in ALO.

Spoiler Alert! Click to show or hide

There is nothing wrong with that. Except for one detail. That player was wearing the best gear you could obtain the game so far, and Kirito was wearing VENDOR TRASH. But it's okay, thanks to his Gary Stue powers and by stealing his cousin's weapon, he powered up 1000x times and owned everyone.

Lets not forget that the creator of this show is trying to pander to every fanservice group there is.
Big boobs? Check. Loli? Check. Implied incest brother/sister love? Check (I know they are cousins, Kirito doesn't and before it was revealed nobody else did). TENTACLE RAPE? Check. Boring characters with little to no personality? Check. Make it easy for fans to self-insert into the characters? Check.

Every female character in this game apparently can't handle their own troubles. But it's okay, because Kirito is ready to save the day for the HELPLESS WOMEN.

Asuna was helpless against pressure. Asuna loves cooking (hurf durf women kitchen sandwich), she is apparently *perfect*, she is submissive towards Kirito almost all the time. Oh and lets not forget:

Spoiler Alert! Click to show or hide

I like Asuna's parents. Because they are just doing what's best for their daughter! Marrying her off to a man who is twice as old and they don't even know if she approves of it or not! Or if she loves anyone else. After all, family doesn't matter - money does. Oh and a stupid plot.

Anyway, enough about the SAO MMO.

The new bad guy in the ALO arc is the blandest shittiest bad guy ever.

Spoiler Alert! Click to show or hide

He has zero depth to his personality. It's just "haha I'm super evil! I will torment these players and get valuable mind control data, and get super rich! And I'll steal this woman from you because I can! Oh, and I might brain-wash her, because I can. There is no real motive behind. Just because I'm evil. You know. Evil. That's why. Evil and CREATING A FALSE IMPENDING DOOM OF NTR - Oh what was that about pandering to every fetish and whatnot? Yeahh......

Sorry, but the light novels are hardly better.

This show had tons of potential, but it squandered most of it because it wanted to pander to the audience sexual desires. And I'm getting tired of the SO ANGSTY Kirito. Mostly I'm just tired of him being Gary Stue.

Oh and did I mention that Kirito is an MMO addict? Because he is. Just re-watch that scene where the bartender dude shows him the ALO game. He was clearly more focused on the game itself and keen on playing it, and than rescuing Asuna - till the bartende dude just coughed to break the MMO-addiction-spell. Kirito's "flawless never back down" moral compass gets tedious as well.

At the end of the day, I only watch this show to laugh at how bad it is.

Here, have an image that sum up the current arc of SAO quite nicely:

Spoiler Alert! Click to show or hide

could dispute most of these "points", but I'm not even gonna bother trying. you seem pretty set in your opinion, so it's just going to be me wasting my time.

I love SAO, but this new arc... I think I got 2 episodes into it. I plan to go back and finish watching it once the season is done, but I just find this arc cheesy, and I'm not excited week to week anymore. I watched SAO as soon as I possibly could, but ALO feels kinda weak.

I mean, it would be better if they would just keep the same plot. I mean they can do so much from episode 1-25 but just add some badass arcs to it. I love the suspense of a player dying. And Kirito acts really serious every time he see's someone about to die. I mean he has the right to go crazy about it. But now in whatever game he is in right now after episode 14, he still acts freakin serious about dying in the game? Dude take a chill pill, you can respawn back to the nearest town. So what if there are trolls lurking around and killing people for the lulz. Now I think this anime is getting way too cheesy.

I get what your saying about missing the original concept. As for kirito still being serious, you have to remember he is a kid, around 13 years old? And he just finally got out of a death game he was stuck in for two years. That game became his reality and so he is still mentally recovering from it. So it makes sense that he takes the game so seriously because of the trauma of SAO.

Not only that, but he is on a rescue mission with life shattering real world consequences (and on a time limit as well). If he died in game he could lose all or some of his SAO advantages (respawning has a penalty). And he needs to get the help of some of the other players without anything happing to them or tipping off the bad guy. So while its a game to everyone else to Kirito it is a life or death battle (just not his).

Yep, I do remember him apologizing for the excess of girls with feelings for Kirito. But, really, you can have a main male and female protagonist get along just fine without it being a love story, so I can't totally accept his excuses. But I digress. What's done is done, and what we have to do is enjoy the show for what it is instead of trashing it for what it isn't.

Sorry, but if anyone is having high expectations from this show - you should try to look at it differently. Thinking highly of this show is akin to being delusional.

Lets face the facts:

Kirito is Gary Stue.

For those that don't know what a Gary Stue is, it's the male version of a Mary Sue.

A fictional character, usually female, whose implausible talents and likeableness weaken the story.

Every time he has been struggling in a battle, he has called upon his Gary Stue powers to win the fight.

Spoiler Alert! Click to show or hide

Remember the last fight in the SAO MMO? That's the perfect example of Gary Stue being Gary Stue. This happened in an MMO, It doesn't matter what kind of excuses you can think of to defend the awful development in that fight. With the way Kirito fought and consequently gave up; he should have lost. But praise the Gary Stue powers, suddenly he found hidden strength in the despair of his loved one being dead and SOMEHOW managed to power-up despite being realistically dead in the mmo (Yes he was, his Health Bar was gone when he "defeated" the bad guy).

Every female character in this show who has been given a name, has fallen in love with Kirito.
No seriously, the only way to avoid falling in love with Kirito if you are a female character is to never tell your name.

The "Beater/Cheater" haters. Absolutely moronic to a degree that can't even be explained because it was so stupid.
Why the hell would you have a freaking witch-hunt against the VERY PEOPLE WHO COULD SAVE YOU FROM THE MMO??

Deus Ex Machina. Kirito gets paralysed and just as he is about to die; 'LO AND BEHOLD THERE IS ASUNA!
Just in time to rescue him from an untimely death! Phew! What a coincident!

Kirito picks the WEAKEST race, gets told illusions are useless, somehow managed to become one of the bosses from the SAO MMO and BITES A PLAYER.
Lets look at the facts again. ILLUSION. Not transformation or anything similar. ILLUSION. You shouldn't be able to hurt anyone like Kirito did with an illusion. But it's okay! Because he is Gary Stue! Therefore his spells breaks the game.

Kirito beats a highly skilled player in ALO.

Spoiler Alert! Click to show or hide

There is nothing wrong with that. Except for one detail. That player was wearing the best gear you could obtain the game so far, and Kirito was wearing VENDOR TRASH. But it's okay, thanks to his Gary Stue powers and by stealing his cousin's weapon, he powered up 1000x times and owned everyone.

Lets not forget that the creator of this show is trying to pander to every fanservice group there is.
Big boobs? Check. Loli? Check. Implied incest brother/sister love? Check (I know they are cousins, Kirito doesn't and before it was revealed nobody else did). TENTACLE RAPE? Check. Boring characters with little to no personality? Check. Make it easy for fans to self-insert into the characters? Check.

Every female character in this game apparently can't handle their own troubles. But it's okay, because Kirito is ready to save the day for the HELPLESS WOMEN.

Asuna was helpless against pressure. Asuna loves cooking (hurf durf women kitchen sandwich), she is apparently *perfect*, she is submissive towards Kirito almost all the time. Oh and lets not forget:

Spoiler Alert! Click to show or hide

I like Asuna's parents. Because they are just doing what's best for their daughter! Marrying her off to a man who is twice as old and they don't even know if she approves of it or not! Or if she loves anyone else. After all, family doesn't matter - money does. Oh and a stupid plot.

Anyway, enough about the SAO MMO.

The new bad guy in the ALO arc is the blandest shittiest bad guy ever.

Spoiler Alert! Click to show or hide

He has zero depth to his personality. It's just "haha I'm super evil! I will torment these players and get valuable mind control data, and get super rich! And I'll steal this woman from you because I can! Oh, and I might brain-wash her, because I can. There is no real motive behind. Just because I'm evil. You know. Evil. That's why. Evil and CREATING A FALSE IMPENDING DOOM OF NTR - Oh what was that about pandering to every fetish and whatnot? Yeahh......

Sorry, but the light novels are hardly better.

This show had tons of potential, but it squandered most of it because it wanted to pander to the audience sexual desires. And I'm getting tired of the SO ANGSTY Kirito. Mostly I'm just tired of him being Gary Stue.

Oh and did I mention that Kirito is an MMO addict? Because he is. Just re-watch that scene where the bartender dude shows him the ALO game. He was clearly more focused on the game itself and keen on playing it, and than rescuing Asuna - till the bartende dude just coughed to break the MMO-addiction-spell. Kirito's "flawless never back down" moral compass gets tedious as well.

At the end of the day, I only watch this show to laugh at how bad it is.

Here, have an image that sum up the current arc of SAO quite nicely:

Spoiler Alert! Click to show or hide

You know if everyone thought like you every time they watched anything, nobody would like anything.

I mean you're being way to critical about this, I didn't go as far to think of the show as that, and you're just ruining the mood <.< You will probably tell me to get off my ass and stop acting like a fanboy right now, but I don't care, I liked it for what it is, and that is all. You think too much about a series, I feel bad for you, there are probably a low amount of series that you actually like-.-
I don't think I will take the time to write all the counter arguments to all of this that I can come to think of -.- Cause I'm too lazy to write<.<
But I can tell you that if you think this is a series that is just using every fan service out there, its the same thing if you look at any "high school" drama, comedy, everything out there, its all based on the thing everyone loves about it, I personally don't know what it is with all these high school anime's, because I'm rather new to watching anime, but I can tell they are fun to watch most of them.. *coughschooldayscough* -.- What I'm saying, you shouldn't ust dislike a anime because it's using overused things, because it might be good even though it's overused.

He is a mod he isn't ( can't) say get off your ass or can hey ...

Anyways from how little I know the guy he recently came to really like humanity has declined. I make this point by saying I can also make a "holy shit batman a wall of text" but I don't need too it is a matter of opinion, I'm sure you understand this concept. He simple choose to share his thoughts.

It is following the source material very well and by the way nothing EVER happens between Kazuto and his sister.
My opinion is different though since I have read the books and love that the anime is such a good adaptation.
Oh and I think ep 24 or 25 will be awesome depending on if they include an epilogue ep.
Cant wait till Alicization turning comes out, it's just a pity no legal English copies of the books have been released as I would love to own them and support the author.

I agree, I wish there were official copies of the light novel, something I could hold in my hand and support the author

To the rest of you I think you are being over critical and closed minded but again I'm biased since I like the show

It is following the source material very well and by the way nothing EVER happens between Kazuto and his sister.
My opinion is different though since I have read the books and love that the anime is such a good adaptation.
Oh and I think ep 24 or 25 will be awesome depending on if they include an epilogue ep.
Cant wait till Alicization turning comes out, it's just a pity no legal English copies of the books have been released as I would love to own them and support the author.

I agree, I wish there were official copies of the light novel, something I could hold in my hand and support the author

To the rest of you I think you are being over critical and closed minded but again I'm biased since I like the show /purple]

I agree with this and the quote. But as you said, maybe it's bias because I love the show.

I agree with AHTL on all points except I don't believe that this is a bad show now, it's pretty good. It definitely is going downhill but very slowly like a turtleslide. It really all depends on what happens in future episodes this turtleslide could turn into a volcano. BOOM! BTOOM! And thats it for my random post of the day...

Didn't really wanna start watching this anime since i wasn't sure if would get into or not. But wow the first 14 episodes were epic. I haven't seen a anime that good with a decent storyline in a while. Then i seen episode 15 and turned it off. Why Why i dont get it anymore! I can understand having some anime with brother complex or sister complex every now and then since some people like that. As of lately its everywhere. There is no need to kill a good anime just to satisfy everyone or try to fit in.

It is following the source material very well and by the way nothing EVER happens between Kazuto and his sister.
My opinion is different though since I have read the books and love that the anime is such a good adaptation.
Oh and I think ep 24 or 25 will be awesome depending on if they include an epilogue ep.
Cant wait till Alicization turning comes out, it's just a pity no legal English copies of the books have been released as I would love to own them and support the author.

I agree, I wish there were official copies of the light novel, something I could hold in my hand and support the author

To the rest of you I think you are being over critical and closed minded but again I'm biased since I like the show

Couldn't agree more -.- People are way too sensitive about this series xD

GayAsianBoywrote:
As an MMO player myself, the game mechanics in the anime was too simple. Sword slashing... that was it. They didn't elaborate on how you have to figure out ways to defeat a boss... it was just slashing.

You must enjoy playing one MMO since a majority of them (at least coming from Asia) is point and click/hack and slash.

Have you ever played an MMO? Even the worst ones have at least 10 skills available.

Episode 2 showed a bunch of sword skills.
Episode 14 showed sword skills used by some with Kirito using one to attack Heathcliff and reveal he was Kayaba.
Heathcliff uses the Horizontal Cut skill.
Starburst Stream is a pre-set combo in the system for Dual Blades.

That was just 1,2 and 14. Asuna was going to use a SS with that knife, etc. busy to look for more but you get the idea.

There are sword skills, you just didn't pay attention.

You missed the point of my original comment.

My point was the game mechanics in the game was simple; the lack of skills is just one example.

In a real MMO, there are:

Stats you have to work around: HP, MP, vitality, toughness, power, precision etc

Which armour is better for your classes.

There are three main classes: Healing, tank or damage class.

All of these aspects were not addressed in the anime.

And if you read my original comment, the simplicity of the game mechanic is not the only reason why this anime is mediocre.

b- Nowhere in my replies did I say the anime isn't mediocre (An opinion so I could care less). I'm arguing the fact that you think there are no skills in the game which the anime clearly implied are and now you're just trolling by continuing to deny.

I'm starting to think you don't even watch the anime since in EP 2 they went over the strategy on how to fight Illfang the Kobold Lord and how Kirito (and Asuna) reacted to the bosses attacks.
Same thing in EP 13/14 except without initial planning/prep.

And SAO, unlike .Hack (which is the only MMOesque anime I can think of atm), DOES keep elements and environment of a MMO throughout 1-14. It also doesn't have conventional classes in the first place, that certain skills are more useful than others, and that weapons and armor are picked based on the situation/stats (as Kirito's changes as he levels)

Also those stat aspect you mentioned is pointless to spend time on since they offer nothing other than trivia information akin to powerlevels in shonen. Let's talk about how much STR it takes to wield this sword hurr, your accuracy isn't high enough so you'll miss hitting that monster durr. It adds nothing and takes away relevant screentime.

Ah, and most games imported from Asia are dumbed down for the western market to where they are hardly recognizable. I can guess which game your referring to and it isn't a majority. Most gamers in the US are spoiled little kids who just want everything handed to them, which gives us this current situation of a bunch of shitty games which wont change for a few more years. I can assure you not one MMO out right now has any challenging content, as its generally all beaten within a week of its release minus a few encounters which may take a month. Original pre-wow mmos had bosses that went unbeaten for entire expansions, and lots of content that only a handful of guilds could beat. PvP servers were dominated by a few guilds as there was no hiding in instances. Games were way different before hand-holding theme parks became the norm.

Yeah, there are MMO's out there that require strategies and using the different skills effectively to beat something.

So, other than ignoring the fact that they are using strategy and skills in fights, why are you comparing SAO to another MMO when it already established what it is (an advanced hack and slash). The only useful combat skills are melee skills since that's all there is available.

But these days it's cool to jump on the bandwagon and hate something popular even if your argument is flawed 5ways.

SuperFinnywrote:
I don't much care for the whole kissing-cousins thing either. It doesn't matter that they haven't done anything or that they're not brother and sister. They're still kin and one likes another one in a non-familial way. But that's just me. :)

In Japan, marriage or sexual relationships between cousins aren't considered incest.

Frankly, one realistic thing in anime is that the cousin rarely gets the guy.

The last statistics I saw pegged only about 4% of marriages in Japan being between cousins (although that is 4 times that of the U.S., where many states forbid or restrict it, and the majority public perception is that it is illegal everywhere).

SuperFinnywrote:
I don't much care for the whole kissing-cousins thing either. It doesn't matter that they haven't done anything or that they're not brother and sister. They're still kin and one likes another one in a non-familial way. But that's just me. :)

In Japan, marriage or sexual relationships between cousins aren't considered incest.

Frankly, one realistic thing in anime is that the cousin rarely gets the guy.

The last statistics I saw pegged only about 4% of marriages in Japan being between cousins (although that is 4 times that of the U.S., where many states forbid or restrict it, and the majority public perception is that it is illegal everywhere).

As far as I am aware, it is legal in 26 states (six of which have conditions that must be met for it to be legal.) Still that's a much higher number than I thought it would be.

I think his relationship with his cousin is a nice little sub plot that's actually quite innocent.

Spoiler Alert! Click to show or hide

I mean think about it. She had a brother that she loved and even protected as explained by her taking up Kendo so her grandfather wouldn't beat up on him after he quit. And he was suddenly ripped from her life because of a horrible death game, and she was left alone. Then later learned that he was only a part of her extended family. Then he comes back suddenly and since he felt guilty during those 2 years about the distance that had grown between them they quickly renew their close relationship again.

It's completely understandable that at this point she doesn't know what to think or feel. She's a young emotional teenager who had to go through a lot and doesn't fully understand the way that she feels towards her cousin and is tormented by it. She'd spent a lot of time crying next by his bedside praying for him to come back.

I don't know, as opposed to being creeped out I just find the whole thing rather touching. And spoiler alert: nothing romantic is going to end up happening between them.